The present invention relates generally to aircraft.
In the past, attempts have been made to combine fixed wing airplanes with helicopters to achieve vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities. Examples include the Lockheed XFV-1 and the Convair XFY-1 Pogo.
The Pogo, for example, was thirty-one feet (31xe2x80x2) long with a twenty-six (26xe2x80x2) wide delta wing. A large vertical stabilizer above the wing was matched by an equally sized ventral fin below which could be jettisoned for an emergency horizontal landing. The first double transition from vertical flight to horizontal flight and back to a vertical landing by the Pogo was made on Nov. 2, 1954. The Pogo was flown until November 1956. The Lockheed XFV-1 never made a vertical takeoff and landing. The world""s first operational vertical/short take-off and landing (VSTOL), the Harrier jump jet, was introduced in the 1960""s and was used successfully in several military campaigns.
Fixed wing airplanes and helicopters have completely permeated worldwide commerce and warfare. Presently, they are used to move civilians, soldiers, goods, supplies, etc. to nearly any place in the world. Moreover, fixed wing airplanes and helicopters are used to quickly transport injured persons or organs to and from hospitals. Militaries, law enforcement agencies, and intelligence agencies also use them to chase criminals, target, spy, and gather any other type of information. VTOL and VSTOL aircrafts have been used infrequently for specific military missions, but these types of aircrafts have never achieved the widespread success of conventional fixed wing airplanes and helicopters due in part to the difficulty in powering and controlling them.
Smaller unmanned fixed wing airplanes and helicopters have proved useful for surveillance, lethal and non-lethal ordinance delivery, crowd control, targeting, etc. However, a relatively small, unmanned aircraft that can transition between vertical flight (like a helicopter) and horizontal flight (like a fixed wing airplane), has not been provided. Thus, the present invention recognizes that there is a need for a relatively small, unmanned aerial vehicle that can transition between a vertical flight mode and a horizontal flight mode and sustain either mode of flight.
An aerial vehicle includes a rotor guard assembly. An upper fuselage segment extends upwardly from the rotor guard assembly and a lower fuselage segment extends downwardly from the rotor guard assembly. Moreover, a rotor rotates within the rotor guard assembly between the upper fuselage segment and the lower fuselage segment. A turning vane flap extends from the rotor guard assembly below the rotor and a grid fin extends radially from the lower fuselage segment below the turning vane flap. The grid fin allows the aerial vehicle to transition between a vertical flight mode and a horizontal flight mode.
In a preferred embodiment, the aerial vehicle further includes an undercarriage that extends downwardly from the outer periphery of the rotor guard assembly. Also, a powerplant is installed in the lower fuselage segment adjacent to the rotor guard assembly. The power plant has a shaft that extends between the lower fuselage segment and the upper fuselage segment and the rotor is rigidly attached to the shaft.
Preferably, a fuel tank is installed in the upper fuselage segment adjacent to the rotor guard assembly. The fuel tank includes a bladder installed therein. The bladder is inflatable to pressurize fuel in the fuel tank. In a preferred embodiment, a fuel line leads from the fuel tank to the powerplant and is routed partially external to the rotor guard assembly. Also, a high pressure line leads from the powerplant to the bladder within the fuel tank and is routed partially external to the rotor guard assembly.
In a preferred embodiment, an upper cap is installed on the upper fuselage segment. One or more sensors are disposed within the upper cap. The sensor can be an optical sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a radio frequency (RF) sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a chemical sensor, an acoustic sensor, a motion sensor, etc. Additionally, one or more cameras can be disposed within the upper cap. The camera can be a video camera, a still camera, a digital video camera, a digital still camera, a color video camera, a black-and-white video camera, a thermal imaging camera, an infrared video camera, a night vision camera, etc.
Preferably, the aerial vehicle also includes a microprocessor within the upper fuselage segment. A transceiver is connected to the microprocessor and extends through the upper cap. In a preferred embodiment, the aerial vehicle further includes a global positioning satellite (G.P.S.) system within the upper fuselage segment. The G.P.S. system is also connected to the microprocessor.
In another aspect of the present invention, an aerial vehicle includes means for launching the vehicle vertically and means for flying the vehicle vertically. In this aspect, the aerial vehicle includes means for transitioning the vehicle from vertical flight to horizontal flight.
In still another aspect of the present invention, an aerial vehicle includes a fuselage that defines a longitudinal axis. A rotor guard assembly surrounds a portion of the fuselage in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Moreover, a rotor rotates within the rotor guard assembly in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In this aspect, a turning vane flap extends downwardly from the rotor guard. The turning vane flap has one end hingedly attached to the rotor guard and the turning vane flap rotates about a radial axis that extends radially from the longitudinal axis. Also in this aspect, a grid fin extends radially from the fuselage below the turning vane flap. The grid fin rotates about a central axis that extends radially from the longitudinal axis.
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: